These homemade quick pickles are ready in just a few hours instead of the several weeks required for traditional ones.
They are delightful! They're crisp and flavorful and make an excellent addition to any entree.
I enjoy making homemade pickles. They are crispy and flavorful, and it's fun to change things up and use different vegetables, vinegar types, and seasonings.
I almost always have a jar of these refrigerator pickles in the fridge. I especially enjoy them with various cold leftover meat slices for my lunch.
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Ingredients
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make these quick pickles. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- Vegetables: I use green beans, cauliflower florets, and mini peppers. But you can use any vegetables you like. Cucumbers are an obvious choice, and carrots or radishes are good too.
- Vinegar: I like to use white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar.
- Garlic cloves: I use a couple of whole peeled garlic cloves to add flavor to the brining solution.
- Sweetener: This is optional, but it helps balance out the vinegar's acidity. You can use any granulated sweetener or the equivalent in stevia. The nutrition info below assumes that a no-sugar sweetener was used.
- Salt and spices: Kosher salt, whole peppercorns, whole coriander, and a dry bay leaf.
Variations
The recipe listed below is just a rough guideline. It's fun to change things up!
For example, you can change the vinegar you use. I like to use champagne vinegar, and white wine vinegar is also good. However, I don't recommend using distilled white vinegar. It's too acidic.
You can also make these pickles spicy by adding a couple of hot chili peppers to the pickling jar. Just make sure no one actually tries to eat them!
Instructions
Traditional pickling is an elaborate process, but making these quick pickles is easy. Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
Your first step is to prep the vegetables and then pack them tightly into a glass jar, leaving ½ inch of space at the top.
Prepare the brine: Combine water, vinegar, garlic, sweetener, salt, and spices in a small saucepan. Stir to dissolve the sweetener and the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
Allow the mixture to cool slightly, pour it over the vegetables, and seal the jar.
Allow the jar to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for at least six hours, preferably overnight. At this point, you can go ahead and serve your tasty homemade pickles!
Expert Tip
As quick as this recipe is, you still want to allow the pickles to rest for several hours in the fridge. You don't want to eat them immediately or even within a couple of hours of making them.
Let the brine do its magic! Ideally, you should allow the veggies to sit in the brine overnight before enjoying them.
Recipe FAQs
The combination presented in the recipe card below is the one I use most often, but you can use any sturdy vegetable.
I often use green beans, cauliflower florets, and mini peppers. Other vegetables that should work well are thick spears of asparagus, firm cucumbers, and radishes.
While adding a sweetener is optional, I recommend it. It balances out the vinegar's acidity. But it's really a matter of personal preference. My husband prefers a version without any sweetener.
As for what sweetener to use, I like to use a sugar-free granulated sweetener. You can use white sugar if you'd like, or even stevia.
I don't recommend using distilled white vinegar in this recipe. It's highly acidic and won't taste as good.
Serving Suggestions
These pickles are perfect with hamburgers! I serve them with baked hamburgers, grilled hamburgers, broiled hamburgers, bison burgers, lamb burgers, and turkey burgers.
I also like to make myself a lunch plate with cold cuts, cheese, hard-boiled eggs (or deviled eggs), and quick pickles. It's one of my favorite lunches.
Instead of store-bought cold cuts, I often use cold leftover meat or chicken, including:
Storing Leftovers
You can keep these pickles in the fridge, in an airtight glass jar or container, for about a week. Being homemade, they don't contain preservatives, so they won't last as long as store-bought pickles.
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Recipe Card
Homemade Quick Pickles
Ingredients
Vegetables:
- ¾ cup cauliflower florets - use small florets
- ¾ cup green beans - trimmed and cut in half
- ¾ cup mini peppers - I leave them whole
For the brine:
- 1 ¼ cup water
- ¾ cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ tablespoon of any other salt
- 1 tablespoon granulated sweetener
- 2 garlic cloves - peeled
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Place the cauliflower, green beans, and mini peppers in a 20-ounce glass jar or a lidded glass storage container. Make sure the container is made from thick glass that can withstand near-boiling water. Pack the vegetables in tightly, leaving ½-inch of space at the top.
- Prepare the brine: In a small saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, salt, sweetener, garlic, peppercorns, coriander, and bay leaf. Stir to dissolve the salt and sweetener. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
- Allow the brine to cool slightly, and then pour it over the vegetables. It helps to pour the brine into a spouted measuring cup first. The brine should cover the vegetables completely. If it doesn't, you'll need to make more.
- Close the jar tightly, cool it to room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then refrigerate the pickles for 6 hours or overnight.
- Serve with any meat or poultry dish. They are especially good with burgers!
Video
Notes
- In the nutritional info, I assumed that the vegetables absorb ½ of the vinegar and the salt. This is just a rough estimate, though.
- This recipe is just a rough guideline. It's fun to change things up! For example, you can change up the vinegar you use. I like to use champagne vinegar. White wine vinegar is also good. However, I don't recommend using distilled white vinegar. It's too acidic.
- You can make these pickles spicy by adding a couple of hot chili peppers to the pickling jar. Just make sure no one actually tries to eat them!
- You can keep these pickles in the fridge, in an airtight glass jar or container, for about a week. Being homemade, they don't contain preservatives, so they won't last as long as store-bought pickles.
Nutrition per Serving
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Jennifer
Hi, would apple cider vinegar work? I usually have that on hand.
Thanks
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Jennifer,
Apple cider vinegar works and it's delicious, but it will darken the pickles. So it might not be as aesthetically pleasing.